


We Found Wonderland

by Gothams_Only_Wolf, Jocelyn



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Baby Jaegers, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Sentient Jaegers, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-18 16:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3575334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jocelyn/pseuds/Jocelyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by HallowedNight's bby!Jaegers and a very sneaky someone who knows who they are~ </p><p>AKA Bby!Jaeger fluff</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gipsy Danger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [featheredschist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/featheredschist/gifts), [HallowedNight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HallowedNight/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cause I promised featheredschist a happy Sentient!Jaeger AU and I keep my promises even if they're a little late?
> 
> Think of the Jaegers at about the mental age of 8 or 9. Anywho, fluffy fic coming right up.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

**_"Everyone knows that Jaegers have two frames; the giant battle mechs and the-well, to be frank-cuddle bots. The Jaegers can switch between frames due to an initial coding mistake which turns out to be convenient after a battle. Rangers are often spotted holding the cuddle bots and playing with them on thier down-time."_ **

_— Excerpt from Jaeger Engineering 101: Shatterdome Secrets Part I_

* * *

_Gipsy_ slips from her **'War'** frame and into her 'cuddle' one without a hitch as she stretches in the mini-Bay. 

"Signing out, little one?" Tendo asks as he sips his third cup of coffee that morning. 

"Uh-huh. I wanna go visit Tacit since he's in today." _Gipsy_ chirrups as she carefully signs the thin paper sheet that she's out of her Bay by 09:30. 

"And Striker?" comes the question which isn't **really** a question. 

"Duh. Zher's my best friend." She ex-vents with a slight shake of her helm. "Silly Tendo." 

"Be careful and don't get too much underfoot, kiddo." Tendo scoops her up and settles her on his hip as he walks across LOCCENT to drop her off in front of the automatic door. 

"'Kay." _Gipsy_ hums as she takes off around the corner to find _Tacit_. **_Taciiit. 'M awake 'n bored._**

**Hey. We're in the Mess Hall. Duc's kissing Kaori.**

**_Bleh. Yancy was plannin' on surprisin' Tendo in LOCCENT with one of those. Why do humans like 'em so much anyways? They're wet and kinda hard to get off your visor._** _Gipsy_ sighs as she ducks under a repair crew that's working on her 'War' frame, pressing up against the pets and pats that she gets from her favorites like a cat. 

**Dunno. But Striker's here with zher's pilots and Max. Coyote's in the Marshal's lap and keeps poking at his eggs.** _Tacit_ replies as _Gipsy_ slides into the air vents with a shower of sparks due to metal-on-metal contact. 

**_Be there in a jiffy._**

**No way. A jiffy's- ******_Gipsy_ pops out of the vent and set the grate back on with a smug tilt of her helm, thier equivalent of a smirk. **Cool. How did you do it?**

**_Nope, not tellin' ya Icebox secrets._** She laughs as she dodges _Tacit_ 's play-swipe and sidles up to _Striker_ with a silent tread of her rubber soles. **_Hey Strike._**

"Gipsy!" _Striker_ stops playing with Max to hug her, zhe's helm tucked under her chinplate. "Yer up." 

"Yup. Why's Coyote messin' with food?" she asks with confusion filtering down her link with _Striker_. 

"He likes the taste that comes through th' Drift but not when they're pipin' hot," _Striker_ explains with a shrug of zher's shoulders. "Coyote's makin' sure they're just th' right temp." 

"Oh. Like when I make sure there's enough creamer in Raleigh's coffee." She pokes teasingly at her sleepy Rangers but leaves them be after Yancy huffs out a mumbled something. 

"I guess. I like everything so I don't care how they eat it." _Striker_ hums as zher walks zhe's servo digits up her vambrace. 

"Only 'cause **your** pilots eat everything under the sun and then some. Who eats Brussel sprouts anyway?" _Gipsy_ makes a gagging noise and _Striker_ giggles. 

"You don't like 'em cause one of yours doesn't; same thing." _Striker_ points out with a downward tilt of zher's helm. "Wanna play with Max?" They pull apart and giggle as Max chases them through the Mess Hall. _Gipsy_ squeaks, hiding under the Marshal's table where _Coyote_ 's been removed from his Ranger's lap and is kicking his pedes back 'n forth with a pout pulsing through his link with them. _Striker_ only laughs as his visor is repeatedly slobbered on by Max. 

**_Hey Coyote._ **

_Hey Gips._ _Coyote_ ducks his helm under the table and sits next to the Marshal's feet, his legs sprawled out as he hugs _Gipsy_. _Whatcha doin' under this table?_

**_Escaping being licked to death by Max._** She offers as they cuddle together. They watch as Max is tugged off of _Striker_ and zher's subsequent clean-up via handkerchief, being set loose again after Herc's done. 

C'n I join in?

_ Yeah. Bring Tacit? _

Sure. _Striker_ tugs on _Tacit_ 's sheathed blade to get his attention and then points to thier position. Said he's coming. _Striker_ crawls under and takes up _Coyote_ 's other side with a happy ex-vent. 'Snice down here. Don' have t' power as much inta my cooling fans.

**_No kidding. Think they'll mind much if we recharge here?_ **

_Probably not. Stacker knows I'm down here so he won't panic too much._

**Mine are too busy kissing. Maybe they'll notice but I doubt it.** _Tacit_ flashes a .gif of a disgusted expression and they all agree. 

Kisses are icky.

_Not **all** kisses, y'know. Tamsin's 'r nice._ _Coyote_ argues but he's slipping into recharge since they're all piled together. 

**_Yeah. Rals is pretty good about keepin' his kisses to th' top of my helm._** _Gipsy_ adds before projecting a yawn image down their inter-connected links. 

Mmm. Chuck's okay. Herc likes t' give me tiny kisses. Like those. _Striker_ slurs as zher curls against a now-recharging _Coyote_. 

**Yeah. Kaori's are softer.** _Tacit_ adds sleepily as he nods off against _Gipsy_ 's mini-reactor.

* * *

_Gipsy_ onlines to hear-

"She was awake. Tendo saw her off from her Bay but I can't find her. It's been almost three hours!" Yancy sounds distraught and something is flaring along her link that feels a lot like panic. "I am the _**worst**_ pilot. She's my Jaeger and I can't—" His voice cracks a little. 

**_Yan? 'M under Stacker's table._** she says with a visual of a puppy pile. **_We're rechargin' t'gether._**

"They're under th' Marshal's table." Yancy sounds so _relieved_ that _Gipsy_ doesn't even protest about being picked up and held close by her Rangers. "Y' scared the ever-living crap outta me, Gips." 

"Petite blu, don' do that again, okay? Tell us when you're sleepy." Raleigh sighs as he drops a kiss on top of her helm. _Striker_ 's being squished between zher's pilots and _Coyote_ 's the most comfy, Stacker holding him with a wry smile and a shake of his head. _Tacit_ 's being kissed on and Kaori's holding him with nearly all her strength, the muscles in her arms standing out. 

**_Okay, that wasn't th' best idea?_** _Gipsy_ pulses out after a few minutes of being cuddled close. 

_I told Stacker we were recharging under his table._ _Coyote_ sends a .gif of rolling eyes at all of them. He's the oldest so what they did, he's probably already done. 

**_Oh._** **Oh.** Oops.

_They'll chill out after a bit. Jus' ride it out._ comes the advice as _Coyote_ wraps his arms around Stacker's neck. 

**_Love you._** She presses down her link with her pilots, snuggling into thier warm embrace. 

_Love you too, Gips._

**Heaven help me. I love you, Gips.** Yancy sighs as he as well as Raleigh settle down on the floor. She sets her helm against his chest and starts nodding off again to the steady _thump-thump, thump-thump_ of Yancy's heart. **Always gonna love you, petite blu.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowee! That one zipped out a lot faster than I intended?


	2. Coyote Tango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Jo who asked for another bit of bby!Jaegers.

* * *

**_"Sometimes the cuddle bots will drop into recharge in the middle of a sentence, producing what anecdotes swear are tiny snores, even if they were awake not a moment before. This practice is rare and somewhat considered to be solely a Tokyo 'Dome phenomenon, considering only one Jaeger has pilots on opposite sides of the ocean."_**

_—Excerpt from Jaeger Engineering 101; Jaeger Phenomena_

* * *

**-Tokyo Shatterdome; January 2020-**

_Coyote_ lurches into his **'War'** frame Bay tired beyond belief after patrol. His pilots disengage and he lingers in his frame, swaying in his moorings while contemplating just recharging as they check him over. 

"Coyote?" Vic's standing in front of his cuddle bot with a look of confusion. They usually cuddle after every Drift, just like he did with Tamsin and Stacker but he's not up for one today. 

"Namorado?" Gunnar questions in Portugese, worry creeping into his tone. "You alright?"

 _Coyote_ slips into his bot frame and stumbles into Vic's arms. "You look like you could use a decent recharge, puppy." 

"No. Wanna cuddle wit' ya." He mumbles with static fritzing up his response. 

"I don't think you should namorado. Rest up. We can always-" Gunnar coos as he cradles _Coyote_ with Vic. 

"Not a lotta time t'gether. I wanna be with you. Stacker's busy." _Coyote_ can't help the fritzy yawn that comes from his vocalizes nor the snuffle that follows. "'Mfine. Swear to Lightcap." 

"If you're sure, bebê." Gunnar clucks his tongue but takes _Coyote_ from his brother and strokes a careful hand over _Coyote_ 's helm. 

"That's nice." he hums as his visor dims under the affection. 

"You're falling asleep on Gun's shoulder, bebê. Are you absolutely sure you don't need to recharge?" Vic asks as they walk down the hall to the Mess Hall. 

"Still good. Promise." _Coyote_ says as he tucks his helm under Gunnar's chin. By the time they get to the Mess Hall, various personnel are cooing at him as Coyote's helm slides down to Gunnar's chest only for him to pull back up with a metallic squeak of embarrassment. 

"Namorado, we won't judge you if you take a nap. You're still a bebê after all." Vic says with a soft look at him. 

"Nnngh, I'm al-" _Coyote_ 's helm slides down again, followed by a tiny snore that Vic shakes his head at while Gunnar just sighs. 

"Bebê was tired from spending time in two places. He was at the Icebox yesterday while we slept off patrol. He's torn up about his other pilots; feels guilty that he doesn't spend as much time with us and he ends up sleeping through most of our time together." Gunnar murmurs as he strokes fingertips up and down _Coyote_ 's visor. 

"Schedule our patrols later so he gets some recharge in. I know LOCCENT wouldn't mind if it keeps our poor bebê happy," Vic replies as he scoops up a sleeping _Coyote_ while Gunnar picks up their finished trays to set on the cleaning carts. 

"Then let's fix this. Poor Coyote is too sweet to be tearing himself up over something we can make better, hmm?" Gunnar inquires as they head for LOCCENT. "Rai?" 

"Oh. Coyote isn't in his War frame?" Officer Rai Midori spins in their chair, looking _Coyote_ over like everyone else has. "Recharging again? Poor little Jaeger. Back and forth all the time can't be good for him." 

"Well, I was wondering if we could switch with Echo?" Vic prompts as he rocks _Coyote_ very gently, the Jaeger in question quiet save for the tiny snores escaping his vocalizers. 

"They've been looking for someone to trade shifts with. Perfect timing, gentlemen." Rai pulls up the schedule and switches _Coyote_ with _Echo_. "It also gives him time to play with her since she'll be napping while he's on patrol." The LOCCENT Officer rolls up to _Coyote_ and trails a fingertip down the miniature escape hatch on his helm. "Tendo and I have been discussing how to fix this for a while now. They'll be happy to hear about the switch." 

"Us too. He was so tired today and normally he's very bright. We want him happy," Gunnar gently pets _Coyote_ 's chest plate and _Coyote_ traps Gunnar's hand by hugging it to his chest. The movement illicts a chuckle from all three of them. "even if it means getting stuck while he's recharging."

* * *

_Coyote_ yawns and flickers on his visor, surprised when he sees Gunnar sleeping curled around him. Vic's on his other side and there's a sticky-note on his chest plate. 

**_You fell into recharge a while back. We switched your schedule so you can spend time with us, your old pair of pilots and Echo as well as Tacit. We know you've been trying to be two places at once. Figured we'd help you out. We're in Echo's slot now for patrol._ **

_Vic n Gunnar_

He yawns again, peeling off the note to stick it on the nightstand without disturbing his current pilots, snuggling back down to recharge a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! I'm on a roll~


	3. Cherno Alpha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, definitely blaming Jo for this one. They asked for bot origins and I can't seem to say no when it comes to these bbys.

* * *

**_"The cuddle-bot origins remained a mystery until we decided to ask the Mark I pilots. It turns out that the bots used to be crash dummies but were repurposed for Jaeger Maintenance classes at the Academy. Each pair had grown fond of the bot in question and modeled the outside to match their Jaeger should they recieve one. The achievement of sentience is another question altogether..."_**

_—Excerpt from Jaeger Engineering 101; The Cuddle Bot Enigma_

* * *

**-Shatterdome Vladivostok; July 2017-**

_Cherno_ stumbles after her pilots, tripping on her pedes and landing with a grunt. Walking in the bot frame was much harder and required a lot more effort than she figured it would. How come _Coyote_ and _Brawler_ had managed so easily? 

Mama had turned around at the loud **-CLANK!-** and had a hand over her mouth, "Alexisis, look! It's like Stacker said. They are... aware now. Something about the Pons and our Drift brought this one to life." 

"Mama?" _Cherno_ asks as she reaches up with her servos. Mama quickly scoops her up and she hums at the height change. 

"Yes Cherno." 

"Walking is hard." she huffs as she wiggles her now dangling pedes. 

"Oh?" She coos at _Cherno_ , settling her onto a hip as Aleksis (Papa?) places a hand on _Cherno_ 's back. 

"Talking too." She yawns a little and it ends with a staticky squeak. 

"We'll have to work on that together."

* * *

It takes only a few months before _Cherno_ is running around Vladivostok all by herself. She's bored because there aren't any other Jaegers to play with like there are in Tokyo, LA and even in Lima. The Icebox has three and she wants company. 

"Cherno?" Mama calls and she bolts straight for her pilots with a happy bounce. "There is another Jaeger coming. Why don't you greet them?" 

"But... Only Tacit-" 

"A new Jaeger, sladkiy okhotnik*." Papa chuckles as he scoops her up. "Name is _Nova Hyperion_ ." 

"Oh. Now?" 

"They built Nova a while back. They're coming here as assigned by the PPDC." Papa explains. 

"Nova will be here shortly. Have courage and be kind." Mama suggests with a smile. 

"Like Cinderella?" 

"Yes, like Cinderella."

* * *

_Nova_ has a cuddle bot but... They won't come down. The **'War'** frame sways in the mooring cables from side to side but the AI refuses to switch to the smaller form. The pilots are sweet but serious and look at _Cherno_ with undisguised curiosity. 

"Ours does not do that. We know they are in there, in the Drift, but they do not come down." So-Yi murmurs as _Cherno_ hugs Mama's leg and looks at the other Jaeger. 

"We know they like our Drift and that they do not have any one... gender, so to speak." Yuna sighs as she looks up at _Nova_. "Perhaps with time and patience." 

"Most likely they're shy," Mama inputs as she allows _Cherno_ to play with her fingers. "Cherno was very clumsy at first and the bot frames are a little hard to get used to from their end." 

"Yuna was shy. Then she met me and well, you know," So-Yi smiles at Yuna but Yuna only shakes her head at her co-pilot. "maybe our Jaeger is too." 

"They might come out when everyone is away to test their control?" _Cherno_ inputs and _Nova_ 's **'War'** frame jerks in it's cables as the cuddle bot comes to life. 

**How did you know that?!** The broad-band link vibrates with _Nova_ 's indignation as they advance on _Cherno_. So-Yi reaches for _Nova_ but pulls back at the last second. 

**_I used to do it too, after Mama and Papa left for the night._** _Cherno_ stares back with an upward tilt of her helm under the fake power battery. 

**Oh. Oh dear.** _Nova_ 's joints lock up and they start falling forward when they get rescued by two sets of hands. Both So-Yi and Yuna are cradling _Nova_ close to their bodies and giggle when _Nova_ looks up with a, "Meep!" coming from their vocalizer. 

"Hello." Yuna hums as _Nova_ buries their helm into their servos. 

"You're safe here, I promise." So-Yi says with a kiss pressed to _Nova_ 's black helm. 

"'Lo." _Nova_ peeks out from behind their digits and looks up at So-Yi. "Y-You mean that?" 

"Yes." Both pilots reply in unison. 

"O-Okay." _Nova_ carefully turns around and hugs So-Yi first, followed by Yuna. They purr softly when Yuna picks them up and holds them close. "'Snice down here." The sharp-looking visor is a deep blue that glows the more time _Nova_ spends with their pilots. "Like Cherno."

* * *

_Nova_ and _Cherno_ get along well after _Nova_ finds the courage to come down. She squeaks as they chase her under techie feet and around the **'War'** frames. 

"Slow down, little one!" One of _Cherno_ 's crew yelps after they duck under his repair seat for _Cherno_ 's big pede. 

"Sorry!" _Cherno_ calls back, only to bump into Yuna and Mama as they walk along the 'Dome corridors. "Sorry Mama." 

"Sorry Noona." _Nova_ 's helm tilts down and a wash of embarrassment flickers through the link. 

"You're alright, Nova-ssi." Yuna says as she kneels to _Nova_ 's height. "Have you decided or is today femme?" 

"Fluid, Noona, but today is like Cherno." _Nova_ hums with a wash of sweetness along the link they share with _Cherno_. 

"Ah. I'll let So-Yi know. Go play, little one." Yuna hugs _Nova_ close and also presses a kiss to their helm like Mama is doing for _Cherno_. 

"Tag, you're the Kaiju!" _Cherno_ pokes at _Nova_ 's chassis and they growl playfully. "Eee!" 

"Rawr!" _Nova_ chases after her, both of them skidding around the corner with giggles as the bot frames recalibrate the angle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwww. Nova popped up and just made the whole thing ten times better.
> 
> *Russian for sweet hunter


	4. Striker Eureka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The origin story of Striker Eureka's cuddle bot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gothams_Only_Wolf has kindly permitted me to play in her bby!Jaeger-verse. I had a craving for uberfluff and an idea about the interactions between Striker, zher's pilots, and their dog, so here it is! Enjoy!

**_"The sentient personality of the cuddle bots, like their full-size counterparts, is a combination of the personalities of the two pilots. However, it is important to note that a Jaeger is an individual separate and distinct from both pilots, and may react very differently from either at a given moment. The bond between Jaeger and pilots is as powerful and unbreakable as that between the two human pilots."_ **

_—Excerpt from Jaeger Engineering 101; Jaeger Phenomena_

* * *

 Part of the resistance to Chuck Hansen as a Jaeger pilot was kept very quiet among the J-Techs. The Jaeger Program had enough opponents by 2019. The last thing they needed was the sentience issue being up for public discussion.

“There’s no question that the Jaegers get a lot of their personalities from their pilots. But how’s the psyche of a sixteen-year-old going to translate into a sentient war machine?”

But nobody ever got up the nerve to raise that particular objection out loud, and so Chuck Hansen bridged into a neural handshake with his father and Striker Eureka the same year he was eligible for a learner’s permit.

“I really don’t know what to expect,” Caitlin Lightcap told Stacker Pentecost as _Striker_ began testing.

“And this differs from every other pilot team with every other Jaeger in what way exactly?”

“Higher probability of joyrides?”

“Good answer.”

They still had a lot to learn about Jaegers and what formed their temperaments. _Striker Eureka_ , the Mark-5 with the most sophisticated systems and the most advanced weapons, ended up with a ferocious work ethic, incredible fighting skills, a quick, adaptive mind. None of that came as a surprise to anyone who knew the Hansens.

But _Striker_ zherself had more patience than both of zhe's pilots put together.

Even _Coyote Tango_ and _Cherno Alpha_ had fidgeted (along with their tired, cranky pilots) during the dull, drawn-out process of fitting the War frames into their moorings of each new Shatterdome. Stacker watched and marveled. “You’re not at all what I was expecting,” he remarked to the Jaeger.

His Bluetooth buzzed. _"Zhe says neither are you,_ ” Herc informed him. Stacker had to smile.

* * *

The crews again were apprehensive the first time _Striker_ ’s “cuddle” frame stirred to life. “Hell, Little _Romeo_ and Itty Bitty _Gipsy_ are hell on two legs,” Tendo Choi remarked. “What’s a cuddle bot with a teenager’s mind going to get up to?”

Stacker caught Herc and Chuck constantly sneaking peeks at their miniature Jaeger – always when the other pilot wasn’t around. Eventually, as mini- _Striker_ started figuring out how to move and talk on zher's own, they gave up pretending disinterest and stayed.

Herc watched the little Jaeger’s efforts with an intensity in his gaze that was unmistakable. Stacker understood it. (Herc had accused Stacker more than once of having a “Dad stare” when he watched Mako trying to learn Jaeger Bushido.)

Chuck was fascinated by the miniature _Striker_ , and sometimes clearly restrained himself from trying to go over to the cuddle bot and helping zher. “You have to let zher learn on zhe's own,” Caitlin told the boy.

“I know.”

Stacker found himself re-appraising where _Striker_ might have gotten zher's patience from. It was a strange thought but the evidence was there.

Little _Striker_ had the same determination as zhe's pilots. Zher wobbled like a toddler and then stopped for long stretches to process each motion, then tried again. _Striker_ kept at it for hours, until zhe got stopped by zher's pilots having to get back into the War frame or get some sleep.

“I’m not sure about this, Stacker,” Herc confided a few days in. “I don’t think zhe likes Max.”

“Really?” Stacker was surprised. Chuck was as devoted to his bulldog as he was to his Jaeger; surely Striker wouldn’t be capable of not getting along with Max. The dog tended to curl up on _Striker_ ’s pede and stay there for hours when his humans were up in the pod, right until one of the ground crew led him away so the crawler could activate to take the Jaeger down Scramble Alley.

“I can’t figure it out. Neither can Chuck. But little _Striker_ honks and rattles whenever Max is around until he gets scared and runs away. The neural link’s still a little weak. All we can make out is zher doesn’t want Max to get close.”

Stacker was as stumped as his friend. “I… have no idea what could be prompting that.”

* * *

They finally got their answer once little _Striker_ had mastered all zhe wanted to learn. Stacker knew everything would be fine when he saw the cuddle bot, the sixteen-year-old, and the dog romping around in one of the war rooms. “So I take it you’ve worked out your differences?”

“There weren’t any differences,” the cuddle bot piped up. “I just can’t drift with Max. I didn’t want him to come near until I was sure I could play safe with him.”

Chuck Hansen looked, well, rather like a proud parent. “My old man used to have to remind me to be gentle with dogs.”

Max wasn’t afraid of _Striker_ anymore. He was more agile than his stocky body let on, zipping and dodging around Striker’s metal feet, play-growling, bringing a long, much-chewed toy for tug-of-war, which the Jaeger happily obliged. _Striker_ had the strength even in zher's cuddle frame to send the dog flying, but never did. Zher looked like a human child when zhe played with Max.

Stacker watched until he caught Herc watching _him_ and realized he was wearing a bona-fide, shit-eating grin. Not many things could drive Stacker Pentecost to smile like that. (The two people who could were both in Hawaii at the moment: Mako and Tamsin.)

“You’ll have to introduce Mako to zher next time she visits,” Herc murmured in his ear. “I think they’ll get on.” He shook his head as Chuck went speeding off down the corridor with Jaeger and bulldog at his heels in an impromptu footrace. “You ever wish she had a sibling?”

“On occasion. You?”

“Never really had the time to think about it. Chuck didn’t get on very well with other kids his age. I doubted he’d really take to anyone, but look at them.”

Stacker managed not to snort. “Jaegers embody the best parts of both pilots. I doubt it’d be physically possible for Chuck _not_ to take to Striker in either of zher's frames.”

The two men wandered out through the central bays, past _Striker_ ’s dormant War frame. Chuck and _Striker_ and Max were putting _Striker_ ’s newly-acquired movement skills to the test up until it started raining, and _Striker_ ’s power levels finally started to run down. The boy returned through Scramble Alley with _Striker_ on his hip, hair mussed, and Max trotting contentedly beside them.

“Strike maneuvers as fast as Big Man,” Chuck announced.

“I have all the same proportions,” _Striker_ retorted, sounding vaguely offended, like a peeved little sibling. “I just needed practice!”

Now Herc was the one with the shit-eating grin, Stacker noted. The little Jaeger loosened zhe's grip around Chuck’s shoulders and held out an arm for Herc, who took zher's weight with ease. “Sure you did. Just don’t let me catch you following when we’re deployed, trying to bite the kaiju’s ankles.”

“You _know_ that’s not possible… or one of us would’ve tried it by now.” _Striker_ even sounded like Chuck when the lad was in a huff. From the way zhe tossed zher's helm, Stacker imagined a kid rolling his eyes, muttering, _Duh, Dad!_

* * *

Even after they proved they were drift compatible, Herc and Chuck’s relationship could be tumultuous. That was no secret in the PPDC. But as when they were in the conn-pod, their acrimony disappeared when Striker’s cuddle bot was active. Caitlin Lightcap firmly corrected anyone who suggested that the Jaeger was the reason father and son got along at all.

“It’s the other way around. I think that’d be true even if Striker weren’t sentient. Drift compatibility strengthens a bond that already exists, not vice versa. Whatever problems they’ve got, something much deeper and more powerful was keeping them together long before they set foot in a conn-pod. Striker is just the bond brought to life.”

Stacker smiled more wistfully when he passed through the officers’ lounge and saw the Hansens collapsed in an unwieldy heap on a giant bean-bag chair. Every Shatterdome rec area had an abundance of large seating with the pilots’ needs in mind: all Rangers needed physical contact with their partners, and, as experience had shown, with their cuddle bots. (That was where the nickname of the mini frames had come from, after all.)

Most prospective pilots started it up very soon after their first successful drift. Herc and Chuck had been more resistant than any team in history. Even after _Striker_ launched, generally, the pair wouldn’t be caught dead snuggling in public.

So _Striker_ was still changing them. Or just stripping pretenses away. Father, son, Jaeger, and dog were all piled onto the bean bag. Chuck was dangerously close to having his head on his father’s shoulder. _Striker_ was wedged in between them, zher's helm on Chuck’s chest and one of Herc’s arms draped across zhe's broad chest. Stacker would have thought for certain that Herc would have ended up with one of _Striker_ ’s angel wings in his ribs, but Herc was so heavily asleep he’d obviously managed to get comfortable somehow. His son looked younger now than any combat pilot ought to be… but there was a peace in his sleeping face that every father would wish for.

Chuck was snoring softly, his cheek against Herc’s arm.

So was his Jaeger.

So was his dog.

Stacker used his commanding officer privilege to shoo away the few crew loitering in the area. One of them shook his head at the sight. “Not only the kid and his dog, but now a cuddle bot. Herc’ll never get a decent night’s sleep again.”

Stacker managed not to roll his eyes. _Herc would call this a bonus._

**~Fin~**


	5. Romeo Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Gotham] Okay, I think we need some fluff! Thankfully that whole issue's been resolved (they took sixteen of mine; half were Tea Verse, half was Grand Tour and the rest could technically stand on their own but not really). 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**_"The cuddle bots are not technically a secret but the Rangers and technicians are surprisingly defensive when the UN is mentioned in passing. When we interviewed the Rangers Gage, we found that they were very protective of the cuddle bot Romeo; going so far as to not allow touch unless the mini-Jaeger wanted us to do so. We found him rather sweet once he decided we weren't any sort of threat."_**

_— Exerpt from Jaeger Engineering 101: Interview with the Rangers; Part IV_

* * *

_Romeo_ yawns as he steps out of his Bay, his arms stretching over his helm as he makes sure his bot frame is in order. 

"'Sup Big Gun?" Trev asks as he scoops _Romeo_ up to settle him on his hip. "You already sign out?" 

"Uh-uh." _Romeo_ hums as he grabs the front of Trev's shirt to steady himself while his brother signs him out. "All good now. Where 'r we goin'?" 

"The pool, maybe. Teach ya how t' surf better with your board, hmm?" his brother teases as he reaches down to grab _Romeo_ 's boogie-board. 

"Yeah!" _Romeo_ cheers but then pauses as he looks at his chronometer. "Wait, don't you have that thingy? With the people from the vid-con." 

"Not for another four hours. Diablo took over our patrol time for the interview, little bro." Bruce comments as he gently runs his fingertips over _Romeo_ 's front spike. It tickles and _Romeo_ giggles as Bruce gently disengages him from Trev's grip and tosses him up into the air. "Which means we get to play with you." 

He squeals as he's tossed into the air again, snuggling against Bruce as he's held close. "Sounds awesome." 

"So you must be the Ranger pair." _Romeo_ stiffens as he peeks out from under his older brother's chin. "And what is that?" 

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, sir." Trevin says in a tone that _Romeo_ doesn't like. "It's a Ranger-only thing. You don't have the clearance." 

"Clearance, is it? I'm the UN representative." The man growls. 

There's a feeling like fire in _Romeo_ 's chestplates that identifies as Trevin's anger; feels like his brother wants to growl back. 

"Sorry, sir, but that's PPDC policy. You're not allowed to know." Bruce states cooly, "Take it up with the Marshal if you think it's necessary." 

"Fine." 

_Romeo_ shivers after the rep leaves, clings to Bruce when his older brother tries to put him down. 

"Hey, hey, shhh. It's okay little bro." Bruce gently pets his helm as _Romeo_ feels Trevin curling around them both. 

"I don't like him. Feels... bad." 

"You mean like Kaiju bad?" Bruce asks and he shakes his helm. 

"Bad. I can't explain it but... here." He shoves it across the Bond threads hard enough to rattle them. Trevin sucks in a sharp breath and so does Bruce. "See?" 

"Yeah, Big Gun, we do. C'mon, we gotta tell the Marshal that ain't no UN guy." Trev snarls with his teeth bared. 

"Huh?" 

"He's a BuenaKai **_infiltrator_**." Bruce murmurs to _Romeo_ as they book it down a different hallway.

* * *

Both of his brothers cuddle him close and he revels in the attention as the interviewer steps into the room. _Romeo_ scans her, humming softly as she shows no traces like the BuenaKai did of Kaiju Blue. 

"Heard there was a bit of a debacle before we arrived. You alright?" The woman asks with a concerned tone. 

"We're fine. It's Ro we're worried about," Trevin huffs as he sits up with _Romeo_ still fairly sleepy. He whines in complaint so Bruce scoops him up and cuddles some more. "He's pretty loud normally; can't be quiet even if it's in the middle of a PPDC conference." 

"Well, if you need time, I can always reschedule." _Romeo_ likes her already. She didn't even have to be prompted. "I'm Christie, by the way, Christie Evans." 

"No, no. This is probably the only time we have aside from our talk-show spot." Bruce sighs as he makes sure his hand is on the back of _Romeo_ 's helm as he slips halfway into recharge again. "Go ahead." 

"Alright. Well, I suppose the obvious question is... How does it feel to pilot a Jaeger 255 feet tall?" Christie asks as she clicks the recording button. 

"Amazing and terrifying all at once." Bruce remarks as he looks down at _Romeo_. "You c'n kick some serious Kaiju ass but those suckers are **ugly** up close an' personal." 

"Yeah. Plus they smell like a mix of your creepy older uncle at Thanksgiving and Drain-O. I honestly applaud the people who get stuck with cleanin' up the Kaiju after we kill it. Seriously. We may get the spotlight but I salute the little people who clean after us." Trevin puts in, careful not to jostle _Romeo_ while he's in recharge. "They're the ones we should be saluting. But we're..." Here he pauses, not willing to say what they're all thinking. 

"The pretty faces. The PR dream team cause we look decent enough to splash on th' front covers of Time or People 'r whatever." Bruce finishes it for him, grimacing a little as he says it. "Same thing with the Becket boys 'n Soo Yi 'n Yuna. Yeah, sure, we save the world in giant Jaegers but we're people too. Every so often, we ask for leave 'n help out with th' diaspora that came from San Fran or further up th' coast." 

"And those aren't PR stunts like People insists they are? Or National Enquirerer?" She's shrewd and they answer her with honesty. 

"Nah. That's just us doin' what we can. If this gets publicity, then good. The camps need every bit of help they can get. We see people with Blue poisoning dying in the quarantine tent. Docs are bein' run ragged. They're running short on food. If being famous brings attention to it, so be it." Trevin huffs out, the Bond flashing with flickers of people coughing up Blue, kids running underfoot when they go to help, tagging along as Bruce and Trevin don Hazmat suits to help those in need. "Y' can't understand until you've been there, been in the dirt with th' sick and dying." Trev shakes his head at the memories that crowd up before clearing his throat. 

"So you're in the mud with the people on the ground." 

"As often as we can be with patrols and press conferences and training." Bruce murmurs as _Romeo_ wakes up with a snuffle and a static-laced yawn. "Hey little bro." 

"Mm-mmm. Five more minutes." _Romeo_ protests as Bruce settles him in the crook of his arm. "'Snot a Kaiju alarm." 

"Oh. Who's this?" Christie peeks at him and he buries his helm into Bruce shoulder, shyly looking at her from the protection of Bruce's hold. "He's cute." 

"Yeah." **You okay with her?**

**_Dunno. She seems okay._** _Romeo_ sends back as he takes her in. **_Can I go say hello?_**

 **Sure thing, little bro.** _Romeo_ scoots across the couch and dangles his pedes over the edge as he thinks hard for a moment. He nods decisively and drops down, grunting as the weight lands on his pedes again. 

"Hi." _Romeo_ keeps a distance, giving her a little wave. 

"Hi. What's your name? Mine's Christie." Christie offers, waving her fingers at him with a soft smile. 

"'S Romeo." he mumbles as he scuffs his pede though the carpeting in the floor. "Like your hair." It's not a natural color like most people in the PPDC. Tamsin's the only other person he's seen with bright red hair. 

"You do? Thank you." She smiles again and it lights up her face the way Bruce or Trev's does when they tell _Romeo_ they love him. 

"C'n I sit with you?" He asks but he's nervous. 

"Sure sweetheart." Christie moves her folder and tablet so he can sit close to her. _Romeo_ takes two tries to get up on the love seat with her but no one helps him cause he wants it that way. 

She goes back to interviewing his brothers so _Romeo_ takes the opportunity to slowly move closer. They're nearly done by the time he's almost at her side. 

"Look at him." Trevin chuckles as _Romeo_ gently taps her leg. Bruce just waits for her to refuse _Romeo_ (quite a few people have done it in the past). 

"Yes?" She hums as he twists his servo digits together. 

"C'n... C'n we cuddle?" _Romeo_ waits for a harsh no; some of the techs didn't want cuddles with a sentient Jaeger no matter how politely he'd asked. Christie just raises her arm and _Romeo_ slips into that space like he was made for it. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome. You looked pretty good from over there but I wasn't sure if you wanted any from me." Christie gently strokes her fingertip along the top of his visor and down the center of his frontal spike. "Can I ask why you wanted to cuddle?" 

"Cause I like you. You're not stupid like the ones from the poop magazines." _Romeo_ says with a shrug and she laughs, the sound like bells on a summer breeze. "What? Why does everyone laugh when I say that?" 

"It's funny, Romeo. You're... very honest about what you think. It's certainly not something someone else would say but maybe it needs to be said." Christie explains as _Romeo_ sighs quietly due to her soft touch. "I think maybe you'll understand when you've got more experience of humans outside the PPDC." 

"Oh. Okay." he replies as Bruce and Trevin get up from the couch. "Guys?" 

"We're just gettin' coffee. We'll be right over there." Bruce points to the kitchenette with the coffee machine. 

"Kay." _Romeo_ settles back down, curious as to what Christie was doing with a mini tablet. "What's that?" 

"This? It's an iPod. Pre-PPDC tech. You listen to music with it." She explains and then shows him how it works. 

"Cool. Maybe I c'n get Tendo t' make me one. He's really good at making stuff." _Romeo_ purrs with contentment. 

"Or..." Here Christie digs into her bag and comes out with another one, this one a bit more battered. "I can give you my new one." 

"Is that one full of memories?" _Romeo_ asks softly as he puts his servos on her leg to look at it. 

"Memories? No. Just older music, that's all. You want that one?" Christie sounds faintly bemused by him wanting the dented one. It looks like it's been through a lot, plus he's curious. _Romeo_ scans it but there's nothing in it but a lithium battery, a sound chip and a memory chip. "Here. I'm sure they can come up with a pair of headphones for you." She presses it into his servo and picks him up with a surprised huff at his minimal weight. 

"Hey Ro. You wanna go back?" Trevin asks as he takes _Romeo_ when he's offered. 

"For a little bit. I still wanna boogie-board with you 'n Bruce." He responds as he presses where lips would've been to Christie's cheek since she's still standing close. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome, little Romeo." She chuckles as his brothers give him a look of confusion. "Interview's all done." Christie offers her card to _Romeo_ and Trevin, both of them taking it with matching hums of interest. "Bye handsome." She waves from the door and all three wave back. 

"What'd she give you, Ro?" Bruce asks as he tucks _Romeo_ 's card away in his wallet. 

"She called it an iPod. Said you guys could probably find me a pair of headphones." He shows it to them and they share a look he's never seen before. "I scanned it." 

"Course you did, Big Gun. Let's go see what sort of music's on here, okay?" Trev says with a nod as they all head for his brother's quarters. 

"Kay." 

The cover for their story is all three of them waving at Christie. The cameraman had taken a still shot that captured the moment perfectly. _Romeo_ keeps a copy in his scrapbook along with the iPod in his brother's quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's such a shy cutie, this Romeo. If you guys n gals have ideas, please, please share?


	6. Tacit Ronin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More floof!

* * *

**_"Drift-Compatible. That's the new term absolutely everyone is using when they date someone nowadays. But... Few actually end up staying together. We were, however, very privileged to see a pair of pilots say their vows to one another and mean every word. The surprise was when the couple disappeared; the bride was hiding with her cuddlebot and her new husband under one of the long tables. We at Jaeger Engineering 101 left them to thier own devices and were later granted an exclusive on the wedding."_**

_— Jaeger Engineering 101: Pilot Introductions_

* * *

**-March 18, 2016; Tokyo Shatterdome-**

_Tacit_ squeaks when Marshal Midori offers a hand. She's dressed in a fancy kimono (decorated with koi fish) and she has something tucked into her obi. Kaori and Duc were out of the 'Dome so _Tacit_ was fiddling with paints in a small corner of the Rec Room. Most people tended to keep a distance when he was all by himself. 

"Tacit?" She kneels to look him directly in the visor, her warm brown eyes glimmering like twin pools of tea struck by sunlight. "I would like to take you somewhere." 

"Out? Is... Is that even allowed?" _Tacit_ flexes his servo around the paintbrush; it shatters. He winces and starts picking up the sharp shards of plastic as he looks up to see if she's going to run like the last three techs did. He still doesn't know his own strength. 

The Marshal is still there and she's helping him pick up the pieces. He doesn't know what that means. He wants Kaori but Kaori's with Duc and they're outside the 'Dome.

"You're a wary little Jaeger, hmm?" 

"... I like your kimono." he mutters as he pours the shards into the bucket next to him. He's already snapped at least four brushes. The Marshal drops in her pieces as well with a thoughtful expression aimed at _Tacit_. 

"You do? I have one for you. I can take you to your pilots." Marshal Midori reveals a smaller kimono, one cut to match _Tacit_ 's frame. The koi fish are brighter on the deep black silk and the thin cord that ties it together is a flashy silver. The hakama look pressed and wrinkle-free. The care taken makes him wonder who made it with such care. 

_**Kaori?**_ He presses against Kaori's end of the Bond and offers the visual and Marshal Midori with what looks like his kimono. 

_Oh good! It looks great. So, are you coming with her?_ Kaori sounds excited and she wraps him in a mental hug. 

_**I... I thought you were off to get married.**_ _Tacit_ reluctantly says when Kaori flashes confusion. 

**Well, can't get married without our Jaeger now can we?** Duc adds wryly as he nudges _Tacit_ through the Bond. 

_**I'll go with the Marshal. See you there?**_

_Of course._ Kaori's end floods over with happiness and _Tacit_ hums softly to himself as he takes the Marshal's hand.

* * *

**-Naiku Shrine; Ise Peninsula-**

_Tacit_ ducks his helm when he enters the shrine, going over to the ema wall to pick up a wooden plaque. He unsheathes his carbon fiber blade and carefully carves his wish in precise kanji. 

After he finishes, the blade is resheathed and he gives a small tug on Marshal Midori's kimono. "Yes? Ah. You would like me to lift you so that you may place it yourself?" 

"Yes please." _Tacit_ hangs it on the first hook he can reach, humming when the Marshal silently mouths the words. 

_**For happiness; a good life for my pilots. To see the end of the War. To love as much as I am loved.**_

"Mmm. That is a very good wish, Tacit-kun. May I call you that?" She asks as they stand there for a moment. 

"You may, Midori-san." _Tacit_ replies as she continues to the open area of the shrine. 

Kaori's in all white with red trim. She squeals when she sees him while holding out her arms as Midori-san lets him down. He runs straight for her, earning a round of 'aww' and 'so cute' from Kaori's family members. She picks him up and he settles his helm against the thick silk as Duc brackets them. A subtle flash makes _Tacit_ hiss softly but Kaori only smiles. 

_It's my Mom, little one. She wants a nice album to show everyone back home._

**_Oh. I... I'm not so good at this._** Kaori just strokes her fingertips down his helm and he leans into the touch. 

_You're alright. Most people take a lot longer to even get where you are._

She hefts him up and starts walking when the rest of the procession does, no one commenting on his presence. They make it through the ceremony (in English and Japanese, a concession made by the priests) with Kaori beaming at the end when they share the rice wine dedicated to Amateratsu. 

_Tacit_ squeaks when Kaori cuddles him close and hides under the reception table to play motion-sensor games so that Tacit can boost his visor-to-servo reaction time in the bot. Duc joins them with a sheepish smile as the press start searching them out for an interview. 

**So, what'd you think, little guy?**

**_'S... different. I liked the weird leaves._ **

_You mean the blessing of the families and us?_ Kaori asks as she raises his servos wrapped around her fingers. She presses a soft kiss to his helm and _Tacit_ huffs at the smear of lip-stain. 

**_Uh-huh._** The Bond strengthens with a thick wash of joy and affection. **_'M sleepy._**

 _Go ahead and recharge if you need to._ Kaori coos as she shifts her hold so that he can sleep. 

A wide-eyed press member peeks under the tablecloth and Kaori presses a finger to her lips. The small woman nods sharply, letting the cloth flutter back into place. 

"Umm, looks like they're back at the Shatterdome." The collective groans makes Duc and Kaori giggle quietly. 

"I like her." 

"Me too; c'n we give her the exclusive?" Duc asks as he uses a piece of tablecloth to clean the smear of color off _Tacit_ 's helm. 

"Yeah." 

The woman ducks back under the cloth and clears her throat gently. "Hi. I'm from Jaeger Engineering 101. My name's Killian Jakobs; you c'n call me Kili for short." 

"Hey Kili. Since you got rid of the... unwanted guests, we'll grant you an exclusive. I'll give you my number but Tacit here is recharging since he's had a rather exhausting day. We need to get him to the charging Bay." Kaori says with a sweet smile. "Here." 

"Oh wow. You guys are pretty chill about this." Killian hums with a slow blink. Duc's scrawling Kaori's number on her notepad that she had out. 

"We've had to give a lot of interviews between patrols. You introduced yourself and got rid of the sensationalist magazines. Good enough for us." Duc grins as Killian looks at the number and smiles in reply. 

"Thank you." 

"We'll send you a text when we're ready for that interview." Kaori offers as _Tacit_ snuffles into the silk kimono.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment please~


End file.
